Deputy editor Edward Pickering joined Robbie McEwen for two days of intense post-Tour criterium riding in Belgium. The money is good but the pressure is on. This is a revealing account of life on the road. A Crit On The Side

Everyone knows the Tour de France is the greatest race in the world but what is it really like to ride? Our team of writers spoke to the riders who know. What It’s Like To Ride The Tour cuts through the cliches and gets to the heart of the race. Some of the anecdotes – Sean Kelly’s account of his only day in yellow and Jay Sweet’s doomed struggle, for example – are as evocative as it gets.

Cycle Sport‘s Classic Race series has been one of the hits of the year. By interviewing the people who were there fighting it out, we have been able to tell the story of some of the greatest races of all time. This is not a bland rehash of old race reports, these races come alive as the interviewees offer fresh insight.

Here was have the 1990 Paris-Roubaix, when Steve Bauer and Eddy Planckaert could not be split by the naked eye.

We tell the story of the 1990 Tour de France, when four riders gained 10 minutes in a break on the first Sunday and it took Greg LeMond almost three weeks to catch them.

And we relive the 1982 Milan-San Remo, when an unknown Frenchman stunned the tifosi. How did it happen? Read and find out.

We also have a tribute to one of cycling’s most enigmatic figures, Laurent Fignon, who died in August 2010. Lionel Birnie’s profile of the man and his place in the sport is a touching and at times personal account of what made Fignon such an appealing figure.

Always an interesting interviewee, we caught up with Jeremy Hunt and got his own unique and engaging look on life in the peloton.

And if you still want something to read, why not pick something from Cycle Sport‘s list of the 50 best cycling books of all time? We sat down with a huge pile of books, read them and then spent a long time debating their merits before coming up with our list. From the modern classics to some forgotten gems, there is something for everyone – and a surprising winner.

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